As the weekend comes close, we can gear ourselves up for a potentially enthralling match in the Spanish La Liga. The 9th placed RCD Espanyol welcomes the 13th placed Valencia CF in the early evening fixture on Saturday. Los Che would be hoping to keep their shooting boots on, after they dispatched Osasuna in their last league match.
However, the home team will be in no mood to give up their position, and instead, will put up a fight to grab all three points from the Los Che. With teams possibly going for a win, this match has all the key ingredients to be an interesting affair from a neutrals point of view.
RCD ESPANYOL vs VALENCIA CF
Three-way: 1: RCD ESPANYOL: +150 X: +270 Draw 2: VALENCIA CF : +225
Spread +0.5: RCD ESPANYOL: +144 VALENCIA CF: -152
Total +2.5: Over: -130 Under: +129
RCD ESPANYOL
With the season coming to a close, one can almost nail down Espanyol’s final league position. Sitting at the 9th spot in the Spanish La Liga, they cannot go higher than 8th, or lower than 10th. So a mid-table finish is what Espanyol has to be content with for this season, and that’s something the club has been able to ensure in the last few years in the Spanish Top flight.
Their last performance against Deportivo La Coruna showed that they do have players in their ranks who can cause the opposition plenty of problems, but their team does slack off at times, which is usually the reason for them dropping points against alert opponents. Manager Quiqie Sanchez Flores will be hoping that his sides can put in their 100% concentration for the last two matches of the season so as to finish the season on a positive note.
The Barcelona based club has accumulated a total of 53 points this season, mostly because of their sharp attacking play which can tear through defenses with pace and efficiency. 29 of those points have been won at home. The Periquitos, as they are often called, have been in a disappointing run of form most recently. Their current form reads 3-1-2 over the last 6 game, but only 1 of those wins has come in the last 4 matches in the league. They ended the month of April with a defeat in the Derbi Barceloni against city rivals Barcelona, who won the match 3:0. Espanyol followed that defeat with a well earned victory against Deportiva la Coruna, where they won 2:1.
Even though the Espanyol team is able to attack and counter attack at speed and expose space behind their opponents, they haven’t really been clinical with their chances, or created enough chances. They have scored just 47 goals with 28 of them coming at home, showing that the Periquitos are more likely to score at home than away matches. Their defense, even though it’s not the worst in the league, has surely not been on the highest level either, for the better part of the Spanish La Liga. Espanyol has conceded 48 goals so far, with 23 of those coming at home. Interestingly, they have also kept a total of 11 clean sheets in the Spanish La Liga so far, which makes for an interesting reading for the mid-table club.
Gerard Moreno has been the leader for Espanyol in the league when it comes to scoring goals. He has 13 goals to his name so far, including the goal he scored in the last match against Deportivo La Coruna. Moreno has also chipped in with 4 assists to his name. They have another attacking weapon in their ranks in Pablo Piatti. The diminutive argentine has scored, and assisted 10 goals each. Former Real Madrid keeper Diego Lopez has kept an impressive 11 clean sheets so far, with only three other players having more.
Javi Lopez and Oscar Gaitan, are both out for the season with Hip and Cruciate ligament injuries respectively. Apart from them, Espanyol do have a few concerns from the medical department. Aaron Caricaol( thigh injury), Jose Anotnio Reyes(knee injury), Salve Sevilla ( Illness), Roberto Jimenz ( Shoulder Injury) and Oscar Melendo ( Sprained foot) are all doubts for the match, and it is not yet sure whether Flores will have these players available to him or not for the weekend.
VALENCIA CF
To say that Valencia has had a poor 2016-2017 Spanish La Liga campaign, will be just about right. For one of the biggest clubs in the country, Valencia started the campaign very poorly. They did oversee an upturn in form and performances and results, but a bottom half finish is seemingly what the Los Che are destined for. With only two games left, they would want to grab the maximum of points available, so that they end the season on a positive note. Valencia will go into this weekend with their morale considerably high, after they trashed Osasuna 4:1 last weekend. Manager Gonzales would be hoping that his men rally and produce a similar team effort to win against their opponents this weekend.
Even with many talented and experienced players in their squads, Los Che haven’t really been able to surge up the table this season. With 43 points, Valencia are sitting in 13th position. The highest they can finish the season is the 11th position. This shows how poor they have been by their own recent standards. 28 of those points have been won at home. They have lost 3 of their last 4 matches in the league. Their current league record is 2-1-3. They won their last match 4:1 at home against Osasuna. This match was preceded by an agonizing defeat against Real Madrid, where they lost to a late goal by Madrid’s defender Marcelo. 2:1 is the most common end result for Valencia matches, with a 2:1 victory, and a 1:2 defeat, both happening 5 times each.
Los Che still boast a decent attack, which is shown by the fact that they have scored a total of 54 goals so far in the Spanish La Liga. Only 5 teams have topped that, which is impressive keeping in mind that Valencia is having a poor season. It is the defense that needs most of the work, as they have conceded a lot of goals this season. Valencia has allowed 62 goals so far this season in the league, with 29 of them conceded at home. And during this campaign, they have managed to keep only 6 clean sheets.
Euro winner Luis Nani has been trying his best to provide inspiration in the team throughout matches. The Portuguese winger has provided 7 assists, and 4 goals for the Los Che this season. Youngster Munir El Haddadi, and Santiago Mina Lorenzo, have both scored 6 goals each, along with 3 and 2 assists respectively. Interestingly, defender Ezequel Garay seems to have found an eye for a goal, as he scored 2 goals in their victory against Osasuna last weekend. Luckily, Valencia do not have many injury concerns for this trip the city of Barcelona. Defenders Aymen Abdennour (Thigh injury) and Joao Cancelo ( Foot Injury) are the only concerns and their situations will be monitored before the match.
RCD ESPANYOL vs VALENCIA CF MATCH PREDICTION
Both teams are striving to keep a final run of victories, as both the teams won their last match. Espanyol will have to wary of not having the usual lapse in concentration, as this Valencia side can hurt the opposition when given the chance.
This match will be more or less an equal affair, with both teams having similar style of play. However, I will go with Valencia to edge this one through, mainly due to more experienced players throughout the team. Both the teams will score in all likelihood.
Therefore, I will take the total and go with the over, while also expecting both sides to score.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-130)
Additional Pick: Both teams to score YES (-149)
